Everything about The Brazilian Air Force totally explained
The
Brazilian Air Force (
Portuguese:
Força Aérea Brasileira,
FAB) is the aerial warfare branch of the
Brazilian armed forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces". Both air branches transferred their equipments, installations and personnel to the new armed force.
The FAB is the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service, and as of July 8, 2005, had 66,020 personnel on active duty. An additional 7,500 civilian personnel are employed by the Air Force .
History
Creation
The establishment of the
Royal Air Force in
1918 and the creation of the Italian Air Force (
Regia Aeronautica) and the
French Air Force during the twenties drove the first thoughts to unite the Brazilian air power under the same organization. Together with these events the Brazilian strategists were also influenced by the theoretical fundaments of
Giulio Douhet,
Billy Mitchell and
Hugh Montague Trenchard.
The first public manifest to create an integrated military air service came up in 1928 when an army Major called Lysias Rodrigues wrote an article called “An urgent need: The Ministry of the Air” (
“Uma premente necessidade: o Ministério do Ar”). Two years later the French Military Mission, working for the Brazilian Army, set the very first steps to organize a national air arm. The idea got more supporters when a group of Brazilian airmen came from Italy in 1934 and explained the advantages of having a military aviation unified. Also, the
Spanish Revolution and the first movements of
World War II at the end of the thirties showed the importance of
Air power for military strategies.
One of the main supporters of the plan to create an independent air arm was the then-president
Getúlio Vargas. He organized a study group early in
1940 and the whole structure of the Ministry of Aeronautics (
Ministério da Aeronáutica) was established the end of that year. This new governmental agency was responsible for the all aspects of the civil and military aviation including infrastructure, regulation and organization.
Formally, the Ministry of Aeronautics was founded on
January 20,
1941 and so it's military branch called "National Air Forces", changed to “Brazilian Air Force” (
Força Aérea Brasileira -
FAB) on May, 22. The Army (
“Aviação Militar”) and Navy (
“Aviação Naval”) air branches were extinguished and all personnel, aircraft, installations and other related equipments were transferred to FAB.
FAB goes to war
Equipped with American airplanes, mainly the
P-47 Thunderbolt, the FAB saw action on the
Italian front, earning respect for its high number of
sorties flown and the hard work of both pilots and support personnel. Their work was recognized by a
Presidential Unit Citation issued on April 26th, 1986--one of only four non-US squadrons to receive such a citation.
Post World War II
After the war, the FAB began flying the British
Gloster Meteor jet fighter. The jets were purchased from the British for 15,000 tons of crude
cotton, as Brazil had no foreign
currency reserves to spare. The jet was operated by the FAB until the
1970s, when it was replaced by the
F-80C and
TF-33A, which were later replaced by the F-5 and
Mirage III jets.
Cold War
During the
Cold War, the
Brazilian Republic was aligned with the
United States and
NATO. This meant that the F-5 could be bought cheaply from the United States, who practically
sponsored this
jet as the "Freedom Fighter". Many other countries, such as
Mexico, also benefited from this policy.
The now successful
Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica,
Brazilian Aeronautic Co.) has its origins as an enterprise directly managed and sponsored by the FAB. Working with
Italian corporations, it developed the new
AMX fighter which currently makes up the backbone of the FAB's attack force. The successful
Tucano T-27 trainer and the new light attack aircraft "
A-29," are also Embraer aircraft used extensively by the FAB.
Present
In the early 2000s, with renewed economic stability, the FAB underwent a slow, but extensive renewal of its inventory through several acquisition programs. The most ambitious of which was the acquisition of 36 new front-line interceptor aircraft to replace its aging
Mirage III. Known as F-X Project the program was postponed once again in 2005 and the final decision now will be made around 2011. The former competitors were the General Dynamics
F-16, the Dassault
Rafale, the
SAAB-BAE Gripen, and the
Sukhoi Su-35.
On
July 15,
2005 one agreement was set with the French government for the transfer of twelve
Dassault Mirage 2000s (ten "C" and two "B" versions) second-hand ex-
Armée de L’Air. Known as F-2000s in Brazil, the first two aircraft arrived at Anápolis Air Base on
September 4,
2006.
Other programs, however, were successfully completed and included the following (as of May 2007):
- ALX (Light Attack Aircraft) Program - 99 Super Tucano aircraft. Currently being delivered.
- F-5BR Program - Upgrade of Northrop F-5 to F-5BR standard. Include new radar, avionics and weapons systems. Currently being delivered.
- CL-X (Medium Transport Aircraft) - Replacement of DHC-5 Buffalo aircraft. 12 CASA C-295 aircraft acquired. Currently being delivered.
- P-X (Maritime Patrol) Program- Replacement of EMB-111A aircraft for modernized P-3 airframes with EADS avionics. Currently being implemented.
- Interim Mirage 2000C purchase. Currently being delivered.
- Acquisition of presidential transport aircraft, known as FAB 001. An Airbus ACJ was bought and delivered in 2005.
Pending Programs:
CT-X (Light Transport Aircraft) Program- To replace the C-95 Bandeirante. CASA C-212-400 Aviocar is the likely choice.
Command Structure
The Brazilian Air Force is the aerospace branch of the Brazilian armed forces and is managed by the "Aeronautics Command" (Comando da Aeronáutica - COMAer). The COMAer was created in 1999 and replaced the Ministry of Aeronautics. Now, the COMAer is one of the three armed forces currently assigned to the Ministry of Defense (Ministério da Defesa).
The COMAer is lead by the "Aeronautics Commander" (Comandante da Aeronáutica). Unlike USAF, the Commander is a “Tenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar” (the most senior rank currently used in the Air Force, which is essentially the same as a USAF four-star general). He is nominated by the President and reports directly to the Minister of Defense.
COMAer currently comprises six major components, four "General Commands" (Comandos-Gerais) and two "Departaments" (Departamentos). The "General Command of Air Operations" (Comando-Geral de Operações Aéreas - COMGAR), with headquarters in Brasilia, supervises most of the flying operations. As the main flying element, COMGAR administers several sub-formations in the form of four “Air Forces” (Forças Aéreas) and seven “Regional Air Commands” (Comandos Aéreos Regionais - COMAR).
Besides COMGAR, other major parallel organizations, which also report directly to the COMAer, are the “General Command of Support” (Comando-Geral de Apoio - COMGAP), “General Command of Personnel” (Comando-Geral de Pessoal - COMGEP), “General Command of Aerospatial Technology” (Comando-Geral de Tecnologia Aeroespacial - DEPED), “Aeronautics Departament of Teaching” (Departamento de Ensino da Aeronáutica - DEPENS), “Departament of Civil Aviation” (Departamento de Aviação Civil - DAC) and “Departament of Airspace Control” (Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo - DECEA).
Air Units Organization
At unit levels, "Groups" (Grupos) usually consist of one to sixteen consecutively-numbered "Squadrons" (Esquadrões), each with varying numbers of aircraft, usually from six to 12. Smaller formations are known as "flights" (Esquadrilhas). According to its tasks, a group has one of the following designations:
Air Defense Group: Grupo de Defesa Aérea (GDA): Air defense fighters. (Fighter Jets)
Transport Group: Grupo de Transporte (GT): Transport, Flight refueling
Aviation Group: Grupo de Aviação (GAv): Fighter, attack, reconnaissance, SAR, rotary wing
Fighter Aviation Group: Grupo de Aviação de Caça (GAvCa); Fighter, attack planes
Troop Transport Group: Grupo de Transporte de Tropas (GTT): Transports, troop carrying, parachutist drop
Special Flight Inspection Group: Grupo Especial de Inspeção em Vôo (GEIV): Calibration
Special Test Flights Group: Grupo Especial de Ensaios de Vôo (GEEV): Test flights
Special Transport Group: Grupo de Transporte Especial (GTE): VIP transport
Common used designations for squadrons are:
Air Transport Squadron: Esquadrão de Transporte Aéreo (ETA)
Air Training Squadron: Esquadrão de Instrução Aérea (EIA)
Demonstration flying team: Esquadrão de Demonstração Aérea (EDA) (also called "Esquadrilha da Fumaça")
The air units are organized as follows:
| COMGAR sub-formation |
Air unit |
Aircraft type |
Air base |
| I FAe |
1º/5º GAv |
C-95 |
Fortaleza |
|
2º/5º GAv |
A-29A,A-29B |
Natal |
|
1º/11º GAv |
UH-50 |
Natal |
| II FAe |
1º/7º GAv |
P-95B |
Salvador |
|
2º/7º GAv |
P-95B |
Florianópolis |
|
3º/7º GAv |
P-95A |
Belém |
|
4º/7º GAv |
P-95A |
Santa Cruz |
|
1º/8º GAv |
UH-1H |
Belém |
|
2º/8º GAv |
UH-50 |
Recife |
|
3º/8º GAv |
CH-34 |
Campo dos Afonsos |
|
5º/8º GAv |
UH-1H |
Santa Maria |
|
7º/8º GAv |
UH-1H,H-60L |
Manaus |
|
2º/10º GAv |
UH-1H,SC-95B |
Campo Grande |
| III FAe |
1º GAvCa |
F-5E,F-5F,AT-27 |
Santa Cruz |
|
1º GDA |
F-2000,AT-26,AT-27 |
Anápolis |
|
1º/3º GAv |
AT-27 |
Boa Vista |
|
2º/3º GAv |
AT-27,A-29A |
Porto Velho |
|
3º/3º GAv |
AT-27,A-29A,A-29B |
Campo Grande |
|
1º/4º GAv |
AT-26,AT-26A |
Natal |
|
1º/6º GAv |
R-35A,R-95 |
Recife |
|
2º/6º GAv |
R-99A/B,C-98 |
Anápolis |
|
1º/10º GAv |
A-1,A-1B |
Santa Maria |
|
3º/10º GAv |
RA-1,RA-1B |
Santa Maria |
|
1º/14º GAv |
F-5EM,F-5FM,AT-27 |
Canoas |
|
1º/16º GAv |
A-1,A-1B |
Santa Cruz |
| V FAe |
1º GTT |
C-130E/H |
Campo dos Afonsos |
|
1º/1º GT |
C-130H/KC-130H |
Galeão |
|
1º/2º GAv |
C-99 |
Galeão |
|
2º/2º GAv |
KC-137 |
Galeão |
|
1º/9º GAv |
C-115,C-105 |
Manaus |
|
1º/15º GAv |
C-95B |
Campo Grande |
| I COMAR |
1º ETA |
C-95B,C-98 |
Belém |
| II COMAR |
2º ETA |
C-95 |
Recife |
| III COMAR |
3º ETA |
C-95B,C-97 |
Galeão |
| IV COMAR |
4º ETA |
C-95A |
São Paulo |
| V COMAR |
5º ETA |
C-95A |
Canoas |
| VI COMAR |
6º ETA |
C-95c, VU-9,VC-97 |
Brasília |
| VII COMAR |
7º ETA |
C-95B,C-97,C-98 |
Manaus |
Other air units are:
| major component |
Air unit |
Aircraft type |
Air base |
| DECEA |
GEIV |
EC-95B/C,EU-93A |
Santos Dumont Airport |
| DEPED |
GEEV |
A-1,XU-93,T-27,CH-55 |
São José dos Campos |
| DEPENS |
1º EIA |
T-27 |
Pirassununga |
| DEPENS |
2º EIA |
T-25A/C |
Pirassununga |
| DEPENS |
Clube de Vôo a Vela |
U-19,Z-15,Z-16,TZ-13 |
Pirassununga |
| DEPENS |
Suport |
C-95A,UH-50,U-7 |
Pirassununga |
| Reporting direct to Air Force cabinet |
GTE |
VC-1A,VC-96,VC-99C,VH-34,VH-55 |
Brasília |
| Reporting direct to Air Force cabinet |
EDA |
T-27 |
Pirassununga |
Operations
One of the most recent operations of the FAB was the bombing of illegal landing sites in the Amazon Forest, used by drug dealers to transport drugs into and out of Brazil (see SIVAM). The operation also had support from the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Federal Police with many drug dealers being arrested as a result. The AMX Bomber/Fighter was the primary plane used in this operation.
The FAB is currently working on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) supporting the United Nations force (a joint Brazilian, Uruguayan,Chilean and Argentine force) currently deployed there.
SIVAM
FAB is responsible for the aerospace vigilance and defence on program Sistema de Vigilância da Amazônia (Amazon Surveillance System).
Aircraft inventory
The FAB operates a total of 729 aircraft, including 165 main combat aircraft and 91 helicopters. 479 of the force's aircraft, comprising nearly 66% of the total force, were manufactured or assembled in Brazil, including 107 combat aircraft (65%) and 35 helicopters (38%).
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions (local designations)
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|
-
| Airbus A319
|
| VIP Transport
| VC-1A
| 1
|
|
-
| AMX International AMX
| /
| attack/reconnaissance
lead-in trainer
| A-1A
A-1B
| 42
11
| Modernization to A1M standard started
|
-
| Atlas Impala II MB326K
| /
| attack/trainer
| AT-26A
| 11
| Being withdrawn until 2009
|
---
| Beechcraft King Air 90
|
| staff transport
| Beech 90
| 1
|
|
-
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois
|
| utility helicopter
| UH-1H
| 43
|
|
-
| Bell 206 JetRanger
|
| utility helicopter
| H-4B (206B)
| 3
|
|
| Boeing KC-137 Stratoliner
|
| tanker/transport
| KC-137 (707-320C)
| 4
|
|-
| Boeing 737
|
| VIP transport
| VC-96 (737-200)
| 2
|
|-
| British Aerospace BAe 125-400
|
| Flight test
| XU-93
| 1
| The last VU-93 version was phased out in jan/2007. Only one (FAB 2123) still flying with GEEV
|-
| Cessna 208 Caravan
|
| utility
| C-98 (208A)
C-98B (208B)
| 8
10
|
|-
| Dassault Mirage 2000
|
| interceptor
lead-in trainer
| F-2000C
F-2000B
| 10
2
|
|-
| de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo
|
| transport
| C-115 (DHC-5A)
| 9
| Being withdrawn.
|-
| EADS/CASA C-295
|
| transport
| C-105A
| 8
| 12 to delivery
|-
| Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
|
|
utility transport
transport
aerial survey
maritime patrol
| TOTAL C-95/P-95/R-95
C-95/A/B/EC-95/SC-95B
C-95C (EMB 110P1K)
RC-95 (EMB 110B)
P-95A/B (EMB-111)
| 88
59
5
5
19
| 7º ETA retired C-95
|-
| Embraer EMB 120 Brasília
|
|
transport
VIP transport
VIP transport
| TOTAL C-97
C-97 (EMB 120)
VC-97 (EMB 120ER)
VC-97 (EMB 120RT)
| 17
9
3
5
|
|-
| Embraer EMB 121 Xingu
|
| VIP transport
| VU-9
| 8
|
|-
| Embraer ERJ 135BJ Legacy
|
| VIP transport
| VC-99C
| 4
|
|-
| Embraer ERJ 145 family
|
| transport/VIP transport
airborne early warning
remote sensing
| C-99 (ERJ-145ER)
R-99A
R-99B
| 7
5
3
|
|-
| Embraer EMB 210R Ipanema
|
| utility
| U-19
| 2
|
|-
| Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
|
| trainer/light attack
| AT/T-27
| 109
|
|-
| Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano
|
| attack/advanced trainer
| A-29A/B
| 52
| Total of 99 to be delivered
|-
| Embraer EMB 326GB Xavante
| /
| trainer/attack
| AT-26/A
| 20
| Being withdrawn until 2009
|-
| Embraer EMB 810 Seneca II/III
|
| utility
| U-7/7A (EMB 810C)
| 9
|
|
-
| Eurocopter AS-332 Cougar
|
| transport helicopter
VIP helicopter
| CH-34 (AS-332M)
VH-34
| 8
2
|
|
-
| Learjet 35
|
| VIP transport
special mission
| VC-35
R-35A
| 9
3
|
|
-
| Learjet 55
|
| VIP transport
| VU-55C
| 1
|
|
-
| Glasflügel H-201
|
| Training glider
| Z-15
| 1
|
|-
| Helibras HB-350B
| /
| utility helicopter
| H-50
| 25
|
|-
| Helibras HB-355
| /
| utility helicopter
| H-55
| 3
|
|-
| IPAE Quero-Quero
|
| Training glider
| Z-16
| 6
|
|-
| LET Blaník L-13/L-23/L-33 Blaník/Super Blaník/Solo
|
| Training glider
| TZ-13 (L-13)
TZ-13 (L-23)
TZ-13 (L-33)
| 3
4
2
|
|
-
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules
|
| tactical transport
tanker
| C-130E/H
KC-130H
| 21
2
| Some can be configured to KC standard
|
-
| Lockheed P-3 Orion
|
| maritime patrol
| P-3M/BR
| 1
| 7 more on order
|
-
| Neiva Regente
|
| liaison
| U-42
| 21
| Being withdrawn
|-
| Neiva T-25 Universal
|
| basic trainer
| T-25A/B/C
| 68
|
|-
| Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II
|
| fighter
lead in trainer
| F-5E/F
| 51
6
| Modernization to F-5M standard in progress
|-
| Piper PA-32 Cherokee
|
| utility
|
| 1
|
|-
| Raytheon Hawker 800XP
|
| calibration
| EU-93A
| 4
|
|-
| Schleicher ASW 20
|
| Training glider
| Z-20
| 1
|
|-
| Sikorsky H-60L Black Hawk
|
| combat search and rescue
| H-60L
| 5
| Total of 6 to be delivered
|-
|}
The Brazilian Army also operates rotary-wing aircraft, while the Brazilian Navy operates both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Further Information
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